“I’ve lost once” - Nabil Anane understands he faces uphill battle against Superlek at ONE 172

Nabil Anane has been here before. He's taken the loss, done the work, and now, he's heading into a second fight with Superlek knowing exactly what he's up against.

The towering interim ONE bantamweight Muay Thai world champion will meet the reigning king, Superlek Kiatmoo9, in a unification bout at ONE 172: Takeru vs Rodtang on March 23 in Japan's iconic Saitama Super Arena.

Speaking with the South China Morning Post, he briefly spoke about feeling like the underdog in the upcoming match:

"Yes, because I've lost once. Now, it's my revenge. I'm the underdog, for sure."

Anane's first clash with Superlek was a harsh reality check. The Thai legend finished him in the opening round, handing the young phenom the only loss of his ONE Championship career. But no matter, that loss became fuel, pushing Anane to grow and climb his way back to the top.

Watch the full interview below:

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"I just stepped up" Interim bantamweight Muay Thai champ Nabil Anane has no regrets about losing debut to Superlek

There is no regret for Nabil Anane, only perspective. He knows he wasn't fully prepared the first time around, but he stepped in anyway and took the shot.

"I learned that I have a lot of things to learn. Even though I wasn't 100% ready, I just stepped up. I got up and just let go of the past and I'm ready to do it again in a second fight."

"I showed that I grew up. Even though in this second fight I am still the underdog. They think I would lose again in the same way."

But this isn't the same fight, and Nabil Anane isn't the same fighter he was two years ago.

On March 23, Nabil Anane gets his chance to hit back against Superlek and show how far he's gone. ONE 172: Takeru vs. Rodtang will be available via PPV on watch.onefc.com.